The present invention relates to an attachment for ammunition magazines and more particularly to a magazine grip attachment with a pull-tab handle that may be positioned on the butt end of ammunition magazines in order to aid in both extraction from ammunition pouches and insertion into a weapon.
The use of detachable loops to aid in the removal of ammunition magazines from a storage compartment is known in the prior art. Likewise, the use of handle attachments or tabs or other extensions to carry ammunition magazines and other objects is also known. These attachments and modifications, while suitable for their individual purposes, are not as suitable for the purpose of this invention, namely extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches worn on the user. For example, the current practice of forming duct tape loops and tab on ammunition magazines, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,937 to Andrea; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,962 to Musgrave; U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,527 to Jennings, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,991 to Stadelmann; U.S. Pat. No. 2,205,967 to Wise; U.S. Pat. No. 1,797,951 to Gaidos; U.S. Pat. No. 1,596,076 to Clancy; U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,499 to Orme; and U.S. Pat. No. D-33,384 to Thorn are all illustrative of the prior art.
Currently, in the field, soldiers use either loops of parachute cord attached to ammunition magazines by duct tape or they form tabs by folding duct tape over the butt end of their ammunition magazines. With either modification, the loops or tabs aid soldiers in the extraction of said magazines from ammunition pouches carried on the user. However, the duct tape tends to wear and often needs replaced. The duct tape also leaves a sticky residue when it is removed and provides no benefit other than the increased friction or fastening a pull tab or loop to the ammunition magazine.
An insulating shell and carrier for a bottle in which the shell is formed of an insulating material. The shell has a main body section, with an opening into which the bottle fits, and an integral handle. The handle is a loop that the user may grasp to hold the bottle while pouring the contents or may otherwise use to carry the bottle. The shell is preferably made out of a flat sheet of material, cut to the desired shape and size and joined at the edges to form a configuration matching the bottle.
A cartridge magazine hanger adapted for quick removal of a magazine therefrom using only one hand. The magazine is supported by engagement of at least one of its feed lips with a support on the hanger. The hanger is equipped with loops that may be used to attach the hanger to any structure, vehicle, a person""s clothing or even a weapon. The hanger also covers the feed mouth of the magazine to protect the ammunition from damage and prevent the entry of extraneous matter into the magazine.
This invention is a handle for containers, particularly glass milk containers. The handle is made of an elastomeric material comprising a band and finger grip potions. When warmed, the band portion slips over the rim of a glass milk container. When cooled, the band portion of the handle is not elastic enough to allow the container rim to slip out, thus allowing the user to carry the container using the finger grip portion of the handle.
This arrangement is for medium caliber guns (20-40 mm caliber). The arrangement is essentially a box with one side open to allow for loading ammunition into the magazine. The top of this arrangement features a detachable metal loop to allow the user to extract the magazines from an ammunition chest.
Magazine designed to increase capacity of a rifle and relating the ammunition in a manner that automatically feeds ammunition through the rifle. A loop is provided on the butt and of the magazine so that it may be attached to the user""s clothing or other device.
Magazine designed to expedite reloading when the magazine is empty. To this end, the magazine uses a retractable sliding plate to allow access to the interior of the magazine and to depress the follower plate, allowing ammunition to be loaded into the magazine. Attached to the sliding plate is a metal finger loop, allowing the user to pull the sliding and follower plates down.
This bottle carrier is a single elongated strip of flexible material designed to accommodate assorted sizes of bottles. The strip accomplishes its purpose by means of two longitudinally extending slits cut in the strip. Using these slits, the strip may be looped around the neck of the bottle, under the rim. The free ends are then threaded through the slits and brought together to form a carrying loop.
This magazine is designed to aid in the compression of the follower spring and thus, aid in reloading the magazine. The invention is a magazine with its side designed to accommodate the insertion of a pin, which may be used to compress the follower spring by simply squeezing the user""s fingers, which are placed over the pin, towards the user""s thumb, placed on the underside of the magazine. A loop, which is not integral to the invention, is nonetheless displayed in the drawings of this invention on the butt end of the magazine. Due to its size relative to the magazine, it can be presumed to be used for standard attachment purposes.
This simple design comprises of two bands of material. One forms an ellipse and the other forms a carrying loop with its ends attached to the elongated sides of the ellipse. The gun is presumably held in place by a small curved member placed on the ellipse.
While the aforementioned inventions accomplish their individual objectives, they do not describe an attachment that is used primarily for the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches, as evidenced by the duct tape modifications used in the field. Handle and loop attachments used in the prior art are mainly used for affixing an ammunition magazine to other objects, such as clothing or vehicles, or to carry bottles. In the case where handle attachments are used for extraction, the handle is a simple metal wire forming a loop and is not adapted for use in the various positions a user may wear an ammunition pouch. There are also disadvantages with the duct tape modifications, particularly regarding removal and in the amount of slack in a loop of parachute cord. In this respect, the magazine extraction grip according to the present invention departs substantially from the usual designs in the prior art. In doing so, this invention provides an attachment that is primarily designed for the purpose of aiding the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of handle attachments, this invention provides an improved attachment, a magazine extraction grip. As such, the present invention""s general purpose is to provide a new and improved attachment that will aid in the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user.
To attain this, the attachment essentially comprises a sleeve of resilient material, typically molded to fit over the butt end of an ammunition magazine, but alternatives, such as an elastic, knitted fabric, would also work. Extending from the center of the elongated sides of the sleeve is a handle. Ideally, this handle portion is molded of the same material as the sleeve and of one piece with the sleeve. This handle may be any shape, though loops and tabs would be preferred since they are the modifications soldiers are using in the field. Loop shaped handles are covered in application Ser. No. 09/293,403 while other shapes, including tabs, are the subject matter of this application. As used in this Application, the terms xe2x80x9cloopedxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctabxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cnon-loopedxe2x80x9d, refers to the number of terminal ends of the handle that are connected to the sleeve. A xe2x80x9cloopedxe2x80x9d handle has all terminal ends connected to the sleeve while a xe2x80x9ctabxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnon-loopedxe2x80x9d handle has at least one terminal end that is not attached to the sleeve. The non-looped handle extends from the top middle of the sleeve and may be formed into any shape, though the handle should maintain enough rigidity and extend from the sleeve a sufficient length to accomplish the many objects of the invention enumerated below. Two triangular sections on each of the elongated sides of the sleeve and two trapezoidal sections extending around the shorter sides are recessed with respect to the rest of the sleeve. These recessed areas, being thinner than the rest of the sleeve, provide the elasticity needed to stretch the sleeve over an ammunition magazine. These sections and the handle are roughened so as to provide more friction for gripping the attachment. When the handle is pulled, the attachment""s design causes the sleeve to constrict around the magazine at the thicker areas of the sleeve, thus enabling the user to pull the magazine out of an ammunition pouch without the sleeve slipping off the magazine. In an alternative embodiment, the top of the handle may be molded into a shape which would further aid in gripping the handle, such as a ball, ridge, or crossbeam design.
This design has numerous advantages over the prior art. First, the magazine grip is cleaner and easier to remove than the methods currently used in the field. Second, the sleeve increases friction between the fingers and the ammunition magazine, which allows for the easier conventional extraction of the magazine rather than prohibiting this means of extraction. Third, the standard means of ejection causes the butt end of the magazine to impact the ground. The molded handle acts as a shock absorber for the magazine when it is ejected from the rifle and reduces impact damage to the magazine. Fourth, the magazine grip is slightly wider than the compartments in a standard ammunition pouch. As such, the magazine grip raises the magazines off of the bottom of the pouch and lessens incidents of jamming of the first cartridge in the magazine. Raising the magazine also facilitates drying the ammunition in the event the pouch gets wet. Fifth, the magazine grip abuts against the attachments on other magazines in the pouch and against the lid of the pouch. This abutment effectively anchors one magazine against the magazines next to it and to and the pouch and reduces noise caused both by the rattling of magazines against each other and up and down against the pouch when the user is moving. Sixth, the present invention, with a tab style handle, is better adapted for use by soldiers with thicker fingers, especially when wearing gloves.
The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a magazine grip attachment for use on ammunition magazines to aid in their extraction from ammunition pouches.
It is another object of the invention to provide an attachment that will accommodate users by being adaptable to individual styles of extraction, locations of the pouch on the user, and location of the rifle""s ammunition chamber.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide an attachment that increases friction on the butt end of the magazine to aid in the conventional extraction of the magazine from the ammunition pouch, instead of prohibiting this means of extraction.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an attachment that is easily removed for replacement and cleaning and, when removed from the magazine, will not leave any residues that would increase cleaning time.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an attachment that will absorb some of the shock of impact when an ammunition magazine is ejected from a rifle.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an attachment that will raise the magazines relative to the ammunition pouch, keeping ammunition from jamming and allowing water to drain from the magazine in the event to pouch gets wet.
It is an even further object of the invention to provide an attachment that will deaden noise caused by rattling of ammunition magazines in the ammunition pouch.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an attachment, the manufacture of which is readily adaptable to create such attachments for different sizes and calibers of hand held weapons.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an attachment with a handle which is more suited towards use with gloved hands or thicker fingers.
Lastly, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple attachment that is easy and economical to manufacture so as to keep cost to the consuming public reasonable.
Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.